WTE offers thumbs up

Last weekend’s Wyoming 250 celebration was a day to remember

UP to the Wyoming 250 Celebration Committee and everyone who was involved with putting on the semiquincentennial events at the state Capitol Complex this past Saturday.

And a separate UP to the thousands of people who participated in some or all the events, from the morning parade to the afternoon workshops and performances, through the evening Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra show and fireworks.

It was obvious from just a glance at the schedule beforehand that a lot of planning had gone into making sure there was something for people of all ages and interests. From presentations about Wyoming’s George Washington Elm tree and a chance to visit with 24 remarkable Wyoming women to ceremonies celebrating the youth civics program We the People and dedicating a time capsule to be opened in 2090, the day was jam-packed with learning, music, static displays and much more.

We also were impressed with the true spirit of patriotism that permeated the festivities. Other than the politicians in the morning parade, there was nary a political hat, shirt, button or sign to be seen. In the middle of an important midterm election year, it was nice to take a break from all that noise and divisiveness and simply celebrate our great nation and its history.

Thanks to everyone for making it a day to remember!

BOPU provides details of industrial discharge, works to reassure public

UP to the Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities for working quickly in response to the detection of a discharge that introduced the bacteria Cupriavidus gilardii into the city’s wastewater treatment system.

Although we wish BOPU officials had identified the industrial user responsible for the contamination in its initial press release, we were impressed with how forthcoming they were during our conversation with them about how the discharge happened, what they did in response, potential public health impacts and what was being done to prevent it from happening again. 

Briefly, the bacteria entered the wastewater system when Goat Systems LLC conducted a fill-and-flush operation at the new Meta data center. This involved using clean city water to fill a new closed-loop cooling system at the facility, which is not yet operational, then flush it out. BOPU officials told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that once they discovered the bacteria, they stopped using recycled water on city parks, and when the source of the contamination was identified, Goat Systems’ discharge privileges were permanently revoked. 

We agree with those who say it shouldn’t have taken from March 24, when that permit was rescinded, until the initial press release June 26, much less the company being identified July 2 after a local political candidate and the WTE filed public records requests. 

Hopefully the agency learned its lesson and will work to rebuild trust with its customers — Cheyenne city residents and businesses — quickly through increased timeliness and transparency.

That said, we feel comfortable that not only did BOPU handle the contamination event responsibly, its requirement that data centers not discharge any water into the city’s wastewater system in the future will protect the public going forward.

Data center developer gets ahead of the rumor mill with open house

UP to Vantage Data Centers for holding an open house June 26 to bring the public up to speed on its proposed 1,800-acre data center campus.

If permitted, the data center would be built along Terry Ranch Road, 12 miles south of Cheyenne. The initial investments are estimated at between $4.8 billion and $9.6 billion, and the campus could feature three to five buildings.

Vantage operates data centers in the United States and internationally. Company representatives said they plan to cover the cost of building a natural gas power plant for the site, as well as connecting it to Black Hills Energy so that residential and small business customers don’t see any rate impact.

Regardless of how members of the public feel about another data center proposal, it’s good to see a large-scale developer being upfront with people about its plans. Such transparency allows citizens to be involved at each step of the approval process.

Long-awaited trail system on city-owned Belvoir Ranch now open

UP to the city of Cheyenne for opening the Belvoir Ranch Open Space trail system, a series of roughly 13 miles of multi-use trails on the north side of the nearly 17,000-acre property west of Cheyenne.

The new trail system is for hikers, runners and mountain bikers, providing access to grasslands and panoramic views of open prairie south of Interstate 80. It has been discussed for many years and was championed by the late Scott Roybal, a member of the Cheyenne City Council until his death last September.

While we wish Mr. Roybal had been able to be there, it was great to see city leaders involve his mother, Mary, in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. As Mayor Patrick Collins said that evening, Mr. Roybal rightly believed that it wasn’t enough for the city to own and protect the land — it needed to be opened for the public to enjoy.

The trail project cost approximately $1.23 million, with $486,000 of that coming from the Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation and the rest from revenue generated by wind energy production on city-owned sites. It includes the trail network, a trailhead, parking area, entrance gate and an accessible universal trail. Plans call for eventually connecting the trail system to the city-owned Big Hole property farther south.

Twenty-three years after the city bought the 18,800acre ranch for $5.9 million as a potential landfill site and to add to the municipal water supply, it’s great to see residents enjoying the recreational benefits of the purchase as well.

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